'American Idol': Blake Lewis

We chat to runner-up Blake Lewis as he looks back on his American Idol experience.

Blake Lewis wasn't your typical American Idol contestant. A multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for beatboxing, he stood out like Calum Best in a monastery among the legions of winsome warblers on the TV singing contest this year. Against all odds, the 26-year-old from Redmond, Washington made the final and was only beaten by the powerful pipes of Jordin Sparks. We caught up with Blake to discuss his Idol experience, the future of the show and what we can expect from his upcoming album.

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Are there any positive aspects to not winning the title? "You know, I never thought I'd get to this moment ever, so that's a tough question to answer, because I picked Jordin to be the winner as soon as I met her. I am so completely satisfied. I always thought that my art wasn't as mainstream as most people on the show. I just wanted to get into the top ten so I could go on tour and show people what I do on stage. Hopefully they'll like that, you know."

Do you have any regrets? Is there anything you would have done differently? "No, nothing. I had so much fun and the experience has been amazing. Each week has been an experience and I've enjoyed it so much. No regrets."

During the final, how did you feel when Simon said that 'You Give Love A Bad Name' was the best performance of the night? "Oh man, seriously, since the beginning of the competition, I've tried just to bite my tongue and say thank you. You know, it's just three people's opinions. I took the criticism for what it is: I just always said thank you and went to the next part of my song. You know, I never let it get to me: it's nice when they say positive things, but when they say negative things I just shrug it off."

Jordin has her 'This Is My Now' song to describe her Idol experience. What song sums up your experience? "The most work I put into any song was definitely the Bon Jovi song: 'You Give Love A Bad Name'. Not necessarily vocally, but for the performance that represents me, you know, it's definitely that song. 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' and 'This Is Where I Came In' were highlights too. There's a few songs that I put a lot of work into."

What was your smartest song choice and why? "You know, it really depends on the week. In the country week I was lucky to sing 'When The Stars Go Blue'. Lots of people have said that the Bon Jovi song was my most successful song choice, but I really loved singing 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' too. Honestly, it really depends on the week. I had a smart song choice every week, but I do think that singing 'Somewhere Only We Know' when everyone thought I was just a beatboxer was a smart move on my part. That was the only time where I was. like, using my strategy, as Bush would say."

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How did it feel to perform with your hero Doug E. Fresh on the season finale? "You know, I met him a month and a half before, when he came out to support Gwen Stefani. I went up to him and just asked him if he wanted to hook up after the show, so we met in the hallway and we did some question and answering, back and forward with the beatbox. It was a real magical moment, and I asked him if there was any chance that he could come on the show and perform. He was all for it and then fast forward to the finale and I get to rock the show. It was his 1986 classic beatbox mix that really inspired me. It was a real magical moment. I was more excited than anybody to end the finale, because I got to end my run on American Idol with Doug E. Fresh, one of my main inspirations as a beatboxer."

Do you think American Idol is more hip and contemporary because of what you brought to it? "I only hope it keeps a contemporary edge...I think for the show to have continued success, they need to pay more attention to what's out there and what's current."

What can we expect from you in the future? "An album will be in the works. I'm not exactly sure who I'll be working with yet but we'll have a little talk about it when I go to New York soon."

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